Roadmap towards a smart logistics ecosystem

Currently, the fundamentals of a technical infrastructure for a logistics ‘systems-of-systems’ are laid, facilitating improved, more effective and efficient logistics services based on higher levels of self-organization. Through situation awareness with enhanced methods for sharing (real-time) data, logistic stakeholders can improve decision-making, which allows for coordinated actions to overcome transport bottlenecks, optimize capacity utilization, and support synchromodality based on real-time chain composition. The required information infrastructures for such system-of-systems supporting self-organization are technically realized by means of distributed, interrelated and interoperable functions for data manipulation, process support, end-user interaction, semantic interoperability and controlled (data) security. Incorporating functionality for compliance with (inter)national laws and regulations further evolves the system-of-systems into what is referred to as a ‘smart logistics system’. As components of the technology to realize a system-of-systems are becoming mature, their successful introduction and application critically depends on innovation diffusion. This paper proposes a Living Labs approach in which the relevant challenges identified for innovation diffusion are addressed. Whilst (besides logistics organizations) also authorities are involved in creating such smart logistic ecosystems, these authorities also need to collaborate in the Living Labs to realize its long-term vision and goals. The first steps towards the roadmap that is described are already being taken in EU funded projects, but the approach needs to be validated further in practice.